


Flesh and Bone

by katalicz



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Mentions of other operators but they don't appear, This was supposed to be a short character study but it ran away from me lmao, doc falls asleep in his office a lot, medics be like that im told
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-11 05:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13517160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katalicz/pseuds/katalicz
Summary: For a man so dedicated to the well-being of others, Doc is absolutely terrible at looking after himself.Fortunately for him, Team Rainbow are there to watch his back.





	Flesh and Bone

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [血肉之躯](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15587127) by [afrabyron](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrabyron/pseuds/afrabyron)



> So this is the first time in a long time that I've posted any of my writing and to be honest, I'm terrified! This started out as a character study but quickly ran away from me, so I figured I should just post it, even though I'm not 100% happy with it - if it's a bit messy I'm sorry, just let me know if its difficult to read and I'll edit it!

For a man so dedicated to the well-being of others, Doc is absolutely terrible at looking after himself.

Montagne is well aware of this. He has known Doc for a long time, and as such knows all his little quirks and odd habits, like the way he has to have a pair of scissors close to him at all times, and how he always paces for exactly five steps before turning and pacing exactly five back when he's stressed, no matter the size of the room. He knows how Doc can’t be allowed to do anything more than turn on the coffee machine in the kitchen for the fear he will cut himself, thanks to his bizarre inability to safely use anything sharp or pointy outside of a medical situation. He knows how Doc can’t write with any colour pen other than blue, and how he can’t wear shoes with thin soles without complaining up a storm.

He knows the way Doc finds it hard to sleep alone after a long mission, needing the physical contact to reassure himself that he’s alive, that he’s okay, that he’s safe. How tired he gets following an emergency surgery, how he then forgets what language he’s speaking and either latches onto the first one he hears or switches between the 6 he knows at random before inevitably falling back to French.

Montagne knows why Doc goes on every mission he can, be it in the field or on the side, ready to jump in at the first shout of trouble, no matter the situation. He is the worst of all of them for taking risks, diving across lines of fire, rotating through unchecked floors to get to an injured teammate, and yelling at any of them if they try to do the same. Montagne would argue with him about being more _careful_ , if he wasn’t guilty of doing the same thing himself.

It would be far more admirable if it weren’t so nerve wracking to watch. But it has saved Montagne’s life more times than he can remember, and that is all that matters to Doc. 

Montagne knows how Doc will insist on having a fully equipped medical team complete with an ambulance present for any mission they go on, no matter what it is (and thank god for that, or Pulse would easily have been dead their second time out), will not rest until his patient is stable and has someone he trusts to watch over them, or until he is certain they are awake and lucid and comfortable.

He knows that Doc has memorised everyone’s blood types, their antibody types, their allergies. How he remembers all the normal ranges for their blood pressures, white blood cell counts, breathing rates, heart rates, blood sugar levels - information his patients don’t know nor care about, but allow Doc to notice the second something is wrong, no matter how minor it may be. It’s borderline obsessive, Montagne thinks, but it works wonders, and he’s not going to be the one to tell Doc to maybe try taking it easy when he’s seen how effective it is, from picking up signs of the flu to signs of pneumonia.

All in all, he’s never felt safer than when he’s under the watchful eyes of the good Doctor.

However.

Montagne also knows that, if left alone, Doc forgets that he is only human; that all his rules and lectures and care tips apply to himself, too. Doc can and will stay awake for over 72 hours when running a post-op med-bay shift, powered only by caffeine and worry and sheer strength of will. If left alone in his office for too long, he forgets to eat and to sleep until he finally passes out where he’s sat, either doing research or updating files or figuring out ways to make his stim pistol even more useful, more efficient in the field. Anything to buy more time to allow him to save their lives.

He will overwork until he drops, if not reminded otherwise, and it is for that reason that Montagne finds himself on his way to the medical bay at one o’clock in the morning for the second time this week.

Doc has been doing his routine check-ups for the past few days (Montagne thinks it was the Germans' turn today, judging from the matching band aids covering the crooks of their arms and Bandit’s unusually good posture), and has likely gotten lost in typing up their records with perfect detail. He had done the same two nights prior following an hour-long lecture given to Thermite concerning his lack of proper arm protection when playing with literal fire. Montagne had found Doc asleep at his desk then, and expects he will find the same today.

The door is closed when Montagne arrives, but light is shining out from the crack below it, so he carefully lets himself in and sighs upon seeing Doc passed out on the desk, face pressed into his arms. There’s a woolly sweater tossed across his shoulders - Rook must have visited on his way to the pub, and Doc must have been awake when he did or Rook would have carried him back to the dorms himself. He’s not quite brave enough to force Doc to rest should he find him still awake and working, but he’s getting there. He’s certainly more useful than Bandit, who likes to put shaving foam in Doc’s open hand for him to slap onto his face upon waking, which was hilarious the first few times but has since gotten old. (Doc still hasn’t learnt not to sleep in public places. The lectures haven't stopped Bandit doing it either, the menace).

The rest of the base have fortunately grown used to Doc's terrible sleeping places and tend to keep an eye out for him - Twitch takes photos of him, should she be the one to find him (“I’m making him a scrap book for Christmas to show him how ridiculous this is getting, because honestly, this is the fourth time this month I have found him here, and we are only eleven days into it.”), and has roped both Ash and IQ into doing the same. Blitz and the Americans will carry him back to GIGN's shared dorm; Jäger will wake him up and look at him sadly until Doc voluntarily goes to bed (it’s very successful, much to everyone’s surprise. Rook has tried to replicate the technique with less than satisfactory results. Jäger still refuses to share his secret). Anyone else will call for Montagne or Rook or Blitz to come and retrieve him and haul him off to bed. It works well, keeping track of Doc’s whereabouts - Doc gets to sleep comfortably in a proper bed for a reasonable number of hours, and the rest of the base doesn’t have to deal with him bitching about having a sore back in the morning.

Doc lets out a faint snore, and Montagne smiles fondly at him, carefully closing the door as he steps fully into the room.

He takes out his phone and snaps a quick photo for Twitch, who is on holiday back home in France, because her intention is good even if her method is questionable, and gently tugs the pen from Doc’s hands. The sweater is moved from Doc’s shoulders to Montagne’s own, and the desk chair is carefully pushed back to give Montagne enough room to heft Doc into his arms with a few well practised moves.

Doc automatically wraps his legs around Montagne’s waist, arms settling around his neck. He presses his face into Montagne’s shoulder with a soft sigh, but doesn't wake up. He's used to this, and Montagne has him well trained; they’ve been doing this for years, after all.

He checks that the desktop computer is set to sleep so Doc doesn’t lose anything he’s working on and gathers the stray files into a neat stack with a steady hand, the other keeping Doc held against him. A quick glance around tells him that there’s no sensitive information left out in the open, so he makes his way back to the door and flicks off the light. Doc mumbles something against his neck in unintelligible German - he was definitely treating them today, then - so Montagne hushes him gently and pads his way back to the stairs to take them back to their dorm.

He bumps into Glaz on the second flight, who smiles at the sight of them and nods in greeting before silently continuing on his way. Their own floor is empty upon reaching it, the others either in bed or still out drinking, so Montagne flicks the main light out and pushes his way into their room in the dark.

Doc is placed carefully on top of his bed – there’s no point in Montagne trying to get him into it, he will just throw the spare duvet over the top of him - but Doc grumbles incoherently and tightens his hold on Montagne’s neck when Montagne tries to move away. His legs flop down onto the bed as Montagne pulls his arm back from around the other man’s waist, reaching up to try and pry Doc’s arms from their place around Montagne's neck.

“Doc, let go,” he says gently, the attempts to loosen Doc’s hold ultimately failing as Doc grumbles again, this time in what sounds like Russian, and tightens his grip further.

It’s going to be one of those nights, then. It’s not uncommon for any of them to want company (“Too much time in stressful situations such as combat screws up the chemical balance in the brain, which gives us our nightmares and our panic attacks and our insomnias,” he had once heard Doc tell Fuze, who had laughed condescendingly when Jäger had told him how the four Germans tend to fall together to sleep after a mission. “It is natural that we need more physical contact and comfort than others to try to balance that out,”), but Rook is usually here to help him push the beds together, at least.

Montagne sighs quietly and slips his arm back under Doc’s waist to pick him up again. Legs wrap back around his middle as he stands, moving over to his own bed then the spare, collecting both duvets as he goes - Doc is a blanket hog, and Montagne’s circulation isn’t good enough these days for him to go without sufficient covers. He places them at the foot of the bed and tries to set Doc down again, closer to the edge this time. He gets a tired huff in response to his efforts.

“I’m staying, you idiot, let go,” he murmurs softly, and some subconscious part of Doc’s brain must hear him, for the grip around his neck loosens enough for him to climb in next to him, one arm quickly getting trapped under Doc’s head as Doc rolls close to him. It can’t possibly be comfortable, but Doc curls up into his side all the same, a hand coming to wrap itself in the front of Montagne’s hoodie.

It’s a bit of a tight squeeze – the beds aren’t exactly made for two - but Montagne has slept with less space before and Doc is pressed so close that it really isn’t that big of a problem. He manages to pull the woolly jumper from around his shoulders and tosses it towards Rook’s currently empty bed, then frees his phone from his pocket before it gets rolled on. Doc sighs quietly, sending a puff of hot air across Montagne’s neck.

Montagne carefully kicks the duvets up and gets them both covered enough that he won’t wake with cold feet come morning. The movement must have jostled Doc enough to rouse him – he whines quietly, and Montagne pauses as his brows pinch together.

“'Tagne?” He slurs softly, voice thick with sleep, and Montagne relaxes before bringing his arm to rest on Doc’s side.

“Yes, it's me. Go to sleep. I'm here.” He whispers in return, gently rubbing his thumb down Doc’s back.

There’s a huff, and Doc nods minutely, eyes still closed. “Thank you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Montagne murmurs, smiling fondly. Something unintelligible slips from Doc’s mouth before his breathing evens out again. His hand doesn’t move from its place on Montagne’s hoodie, but the grip relaxes slightly, the weight of it sitting comfortably on Montagne’s chest.

Montagne sighs and closes his eyes contentedly. It doesn’t take long for the warmth of Doc’s body pressed against his and the sound of his quiet breathing to lull him to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on a big old fic atm because I'm already miles down the r6s rabbit hole haha, but it won't be posted until I've got a bit further. In the mean time I'll probably post a couple more character studies/rambles.  
> I'm also always happy to write requests! <3  
> You can find me at cronulicious.tumblr.com if you want to chat!


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